Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes ready to rock New Year's Early at the Basie
They're still having a party on New Year’s Eve — it's just earlier in the night now.
The annual Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes New Year's Eve show at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank show starts at 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 31.
They're calling it New Year's Early. The show will end in the 9 p.m. hour.
“We did it last year and it worked out pretty well,” said Southside Johnny. “There were some people who were not happy about it, but I think most everybody got the idea that they could go home and watch the ball on TV.”
Southside led the audience in three countdowns at the top of each hour last year.
“It’s New Year’s somewhere,” Southside said. “My audience is getting older. They don’t want to stay up until midnight and all that stuff. I don’t either, really.”
Asbury Juke keyboardist Jeff Kazee will play the “Party Before the Party” at the Basie before the show. Attendees get a private performance, collectable poster and complimentary cocktail with Kazee. Tickets are $51.
Visit thebasie.org for more info.
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Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes' hits include “Talk to Me,” “All I Want Is Everything,” “Hearts of Stone,” “Trapped Again,” “I Don’t Want to Go Home,” “It’s Been a Long Time” and “Having a Party.” The group got its start at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park in the '70s, and they've brought the sound of the city to venues around the county and world since then.
In fact, they’re making plans to return to Europe in 2024.
“We're going to go to Europe supposedly next year after years of not going because of COVID,” said Southside, aka Johnny Lyon, 75 of Ocean Grove. “We're going to play Florida and all the other places we usually play, and we're going to play some other places, too. We were just in Utah.”
Utahns know how to Juke it up, Southside said.
“I have terrific fans and they know it, and they know I love them and we get along really well,” Southside said. “There's no alienation for us. We are very, very fortunate to have a strong fan base.”
The Asbury Jukes' first album, “I Don't Want to Go Home,” was released in the summer of 1976. It featured songs composed by Steven Van Zandt and Bruce Springsteen.
“I think there’s a place you get to where you appreciate all the things that had gone on before in your life,” Southside said. “You know me. I’m not really that nostalgic. I don’t look back that much, but I think we've come to a place where we really appreciate the fact that we’ve had a long career and we’re still doing it. It’s just kind of saying thanks to the fates that we've been allowed to make music for so long.”
Go: Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 31, Count Basie Center for the Arts, 99 Monmouth St., Red Bank, $39 to $99; 732-842-9000, thebasie.org.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes ready to rock in 2024
